


Right Now

by wrote_and_writ



Category: Tam Lin - Pamela Dean
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 05:11:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5193467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrote_and_writ/pseuds/wrote_and_writ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A conversation between Robin and Molly, taking place about a week after the events of the novel</p>
            </blockquote>





	Right Now

Molly left Janet and Thomas at Thomas’s room after dinner and went up to her own room. Tina wouldn’t be back for hours, but she wasn’t ready to see anyone just yet. Molly changed into something warmer. She pulled on a worn Blackstock sweatshirt, one she’d purchased during her first week on campus, and a pair of frayed bell bottom jeans -- Janet’s, on closer inspection, though she didn’t think Janet would mind. Molly put on her army jacket, dry sneakers, and a pair of mittens and tiptoed out of the dorm.  


She hadn’t planned to go to Nick’s room, but she found herself there nonetheless. It had been a week since Halloween, and she was still more shaken by the events than she let on, though to any sane person, she seemed to have taken her brush with magic and the Queen of Faerie rather in stride. After that night, she had avoided Robin a bit, though with finals descending on campus, few noticed. But she wanted to see him now, and she did not have to wait long. Nick and Robin trudged down the hall, wet and slump shouldered. It had begun to snow in earnest the day before. Nick gave Molly, who had tucked herself against his door, a considering look. He exchanged a quiet word with Robin, handed off his keys, and retreated down the hall.  


“Do you come in,” Robin said, his voice a touch hoarse. He bowed as Molly stood. Molly bopped him on the nose with her mittens as she passed, and Robin favored her with a weary smile.  


He closed the door behind them and dropped down on Nick’s neatly made bed. Molly sat at the desk chair. She had hoped that she would have something intelligent, or at least coherent to say, now that she’d had a little time, but looking at Robin, her Robin and yet not hers, not really, and was bereft of speech and thought.  


“Have you determined what questions you wish me to answer?” Robin asked after a long silence. He had offered her answers Halloween night, but Molly had been in something of a state of shock, so instead, she pounced on him the moment they were alone and they had made a sort of frenzied love in her room, mostly because she was so pleased that he was alive and whole and unscathed. Poor Thomas had been rather battered after his transformations.  


“No,” she said. “Not yet.” Her tone was sharper than she meant, but Robin paid it no heed.  


“You are a scientist, Molly. What did you observe?”  


“I observed my best friend’s lover turn into animals. I observed the burns and scratches on my best friend’s skin, caused by her lover’s transformation.”  


“Thou art translated,” Robin said, mostly to himself.  


Molly glared. She was not in the mood for Shakespeare.  


“You trust your observations?” It wasn’t really a question.  


“I won’t lie. For a minute, I seriously considered that we had all been slipped some acid, but I have been given to understand that hallucinations that match in every detail are not the norm when one is tripping.”  


“You have not experienced the pleasures yourself?”  


Molly shot Robin a look. “As you say, I’m a scientist. I’m not going to risk my brain for these ‘pleasures.’ I mean, I smoked a little dope in high school. Everyone does. But all it did was make me sleepy and hungry.” She patted her stomach ruefully. “I really don’t need much encouragement to pig out on junk food.”  


Robin frowned and held a hand out to Molly. “You are exquisite, Molly.”  


Molly bopped him again, just to let him know he was being silly, then kissed him. They carried on like this for awhile, putting off the uncomfortable conversations they knew they needed to have. Molly only stopped when Robin became insistent on removing her clothing.  


“Nick,” she said, a little out of breath.  


“You want him to join us?”  


“No!” Molly blushed furiously. “Of course not! I mean --” She climbed out of Robin’s lap. “Is that a--?”  


Robin sat back and took Molly’s hand again. “There really is much we should discuss,” he said. He looked so sad. Molly’s heart broke a little for him.  


She stretched out on the bed in the space between Robin and the wall. She laced her fingers through Robin’s. He lay down beside her.  


“I suppose we are going to have our very long conversations very soon,” she said, careful to keep her voice neutral.  


Robin brushed his lips across her knuckles. “Whatever you want to know, I will tell you.”  


Molly turned on her side so she could look at Robin. “I do have one question.”  


“Ask it.”  


“Could you be saved? If Medeous picks you next, could your pregnant lover save you?” Once loosed, Molly’s words tumbled over each other. “And what would happen? Would you age normally, or would all your borrowed years come on you at once?”  


Robin was silent for a long time. Molly only knew he was awake because he continued to squeeze her hand and rubbed small circles onto her skin with his thumb.  


“I won’t leave him behind,” Robin said at last.  


Molly did not need clarification. She put an arm across his waist and snuggled closer to him. Robin nuzzled the top of her head.  


“Do you love me?” Molly asked.  


“I love you right now.”  


Molly smiled up at him. “That is a fair answer.”  


“Are you laughing at me, my lady?”  


“A little.”  


Robin smiled back at her.  


“Do you love Nick?”  


“I have always loved him, and I will always love him.”  


Molly sat up and looked down at his serious face. She did not let go of his hand.  


“We have a lot to talk about, my lad,” she said after another long silence. She bent forward and kissed the end of his nose. “But not tonight.”  


“It is very nearly morning.”  


“Nor this morning,” she said. She poked him in the side, which elicited another smile.  


“Then come to my arms, my lady.” Robin reached for Molly, but she ducked aside.  


“Nick will be back soon.”  


“There’s room enough.” Molly was certain he meant in bed, but he also meant something more.  


“Not until we’ve had our conversations,” she said. “I’m a pretty modern girl, but I need to think about a few things.”  


Robin sighed and sat up. He stroked Molly’s cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  


“You are a remarkable lady.”  


“Yeah. I’m pretty groovy.”  


Robin chuckled, deep and genuine laughter. “Mercy. Groovy? Groovy is no word for you. I shall write you sonnets. The merely groovy do not inspire sonnet.” He kissed her.  


“And a dirty limerick or two, at least.”  


Robin looked pained at the thought of lowering himself to the composition of doggerel for his lady love. Molly loved him for it.  


“I am a groovy girl, and you are, like, so far out,” Molly said, exaggerating her words. Robin closed his eyes and pressed his hand to his heart.  


“Since you are not willing to continue with our amorous sport, let me take you into town and buy you breakfast.” Molly grinned hugely. “I have a test at one, but I’m yours -- for dining companionship -- until then.” Robin sighed theatrically but got up and pulled Molly to her feet. He helped himself to one of Nick’s woolly cardigans and a heavy knit scarf, and they left the room arm in arm.  


They found Nick in the first floor lounge, feigning sleep. Molly ignored the lascivious wink he directed at her, though she didn’t bother to hide her grin.  


It was, she reflected as she and Robin stepped out into the silent and snow-muffled pre-dawn, a very good thing that she was not a jealous woman. In fact, this could work out very well in her favor.  


“Why do you smile so?” Robin asked as they made their way to the bus stop.  


“Because right now, I love you,” she replied, dropping any joke she had intended.  


Robin swept her up into an embrace and kissed her thoroughly, much to the chagrin of several students who had, unknown to either Robin or Molly, crept up behind them, impatient to get to the library. He kissed her again and again, ignoring the cold and the complaints of the students dodging around them.  


Molly giggled, kissed him swiftly, and took his hand again in hers.  


“I love you, you silly man, but I also love my fingers and toes, and I really love coffee and waffles, so let’s get out of the cold, yes?”  


“As you say, my lady. As you say.”


End file.
